NEWS

Borough President James Oddo has a plan for Rockland Avenue that will connect the Greenbelt networks, increase safety for hikers and bikers and motorists, and decrease air pollution.

"It's a win for everyone," BP Oddo told the Staten Island Advance. "This is about safety improvements for motorists and pedestrians. This is about parks. This is about open space and this is about demapping."

The plan would relieve congestion and make intersections safer along a 1.5-mile stretch of Rockland Avenue, where some 115,000 drivers travel daily. The proposed plan, which focuses on safety, is tied to projects with legislation that would demap the Willowbrook and Richmond Parkways. He and Land Use Director Robert Englert unveiled the plan to stakeholders in the area at Borough Hall and to the Staten Island Advance recently.

The proposal cited unsafe conditions for motorists, bus riders and hikers trying to enjoy the Greenbelt. These improvements would alleviate those issues and make the Greenbelt more accessible, while preserving parkland.

His vision calls for two new bypasses – one connecting Brielle Avenue to Forest Hill Road and another at Nadine Street to split traffic at the Richmond Road intersection to help motorists get to where they want to go and not have to go out of their way.

Straightening Rockland’s dangerous curve is imperative for safety and turning lanes at Todt Hill Road and Ocean Terrace would shorten queued traffic. “If you have the turning lanes, it improves the roads," he noted.